Padawan Josiah and Jedi Master use the Force to Plus it!

Last July, Mr. Niles asked me to write a short history about the Magic Kingdom. I struggled with the topic (it wasn't my best effort) -- mainly because the Magic Kingdom's history is familiar to even the most casual theme park fans.

Rather than repeat the stories of clandestine real estate acquisitions and mysterious "utilidors" I elected to focus on the park's evolution and how its operators and cast members worked to maintain Mr. Disney's commitment "do it (the Disney theme park) better."

In addition to making note of new attractions and the advancement of NextGen technology, I referenced simple tweaks. I specifically pointed out the distribution of complimentary buttons to encourage cast member/guest interaction (an idea that garnered a couple of negative comments).

But if someone needs to really understand the impact a personal touch can have on a family's theme park experience, consider the story of Josiah Edwards and his quest to attend the Jedi Academy.

Take a couple of minutes to read the HuffPost article. It's another illustration of how the themed entertainment experience goes well beyond million dollar attractions.

Wonderful story! Thanks for sharing it with us, TH :) btw, a commenter typed that a rumor was going around the Jedi-Master had been fired for this....that's just a troll being a jerk right? No truth to this I hope!